Adam Jones (American football)

Adam Jones

No. 32
Career history
Tennessee Titans
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Adam Bernard "Pacman" Jones (born September 30, 1983 in College Park, Georgia) is a cornerback and return specialist who currently plays for Tennessee Titans NFL franchise. After attending West Virginia University, Jones was drafted by the Titans as the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Jones has been suspended for the upcoming 2007 NFL season without pay for off-the-field personal conduct problems. The suspension will be reviewed after 10 games, and there is no guarantee of reinstatement following the suspension. Jones initially appealed the suspension, however, on June 12, 2007, he withdrew his appeal. Jones claimed he will accept the punishment in an effort to improve his tarnished image.

Early life

Adam Jones attended Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he currently resides. Jones was selected as the Conference Player of the Year following his senior year after totaling 120 tackles, six interceptions and 1,850 rushing yards. As well, he played in the Georgia-Florida all-star game. Jones also earned All-American honors in basketball and track. His basketball team won two state-championships. Jones' high school totaled the most players in the NFL from one high school in 2005 with six players.

When Adam Jones was ten years old, his father was shot and killed. Jones was raised by his mother, Deborah Jones, and his grandmother, Cristine Jones, for most of his life. When Jones was a freshman at West Virginia, his grandmother died of cancer. Jones missed a game to attend the funeral, the only game he missed in his three-year collegiate career. On the day of the NFL Draft, Jones wore a t-shirt that featured his grandmother's picture.

Adam received his nickname at a young age from his mother for his tendency to drink milk with the voraciousness of the famous arcade character.

College career

Aside from his collegiate sports career, Jones was an Athletic Coaching Education major and a member of the Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll.

As a freshman in 2002, Jones appeared in 11 games for WVU as a reserve cornerback and safety. He totaled one interception and one forced fumble with 36 tackles.

During the 2003 campaign, he appeared in all 13 games, starting 9 at cornerback, and taking over full-time kick return and punt return duties. Pacman Jones' second season resulted in a second team All-Big East Conference selection with his career-high 89 tackles and four interceptions, one being for a touchdown. He also had six tackles for losses, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also had a career-high 14 broken up passes that season as well. In one of his best games of the year, against Boston College, Jones scored two touchdowns in a 35-28 win over the Eagles, one a 87-yard kick return and the other a 47-yard interception return. Jones totaled 98 punt return yards on 16 punt returns and 867 kick return yards, including an 87-yard touchdown return.

As a junior in the 2004 campaign, he was the defensive secondary captain and led the team in tackles and interceptions. Jones also played briefly on offense, as well as returning punts and kick-offs for the second season. He was named first-team all-Big East as a defensive back and honorable mention All-American by several sources. He led the team with 76 tackles, also adding two sacks, three interceptions, and seven broken up passes. Jones was named to Collegefootballnews.com's All-American first-team and was named honorable mention All-American at kick returner. Jones was also named Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. His 76-yard punt return against ECU was his season-long return and only punt return for a touchdown in Jones' career. He even had a long touchdown run against UConn that was called back due to a penalty. Jones ended his career with a bad mark though, in the 2005 Gator Bowl, when he fumbled a kick return early in the game as the Mountaineers lost to Florida State.

Jones is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks to play for West Virginia, and one of the greatest specialists, although he had many troubles off-field. Pacman Jones is ranked second on West Virginia's school career kickoff return yardage list with 1,475 yards. He is also ranked eleventh on the school's career punt return yardage list with 404 yards, while his 10.92 yards per punt return is the sixth most in school history. Jones is one of the highest players from West Virginia drafted as well, second to Hall of Famer Sam Huff who was drafted third overall. Jones and fellow-Mountaineer great Major Harris also shared the number #9 while playing in college.

Professional career

NFL Draft

After his junior year, Jones opted to forgo his senior year and declare eligible for the NFL Draft. He was the first defensive player drafted, taken 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft. He then missed most of training camp, holding out in a contract dispute.

After Jones had signed the deal with the Titans, he donated money to the 100 Club, which supports the families of firefighters, police, and emergency workers financially. Also in 2005, Jones traveled to Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville, Tennessee to help the school after one of its football players had died in a car crash, while others were injured. Jones reached out to the team during the season, and afterwards still made weekly trips to the team to encourage the players, showing up at at least two games that season. Jones also donated money so Nashville firefighters and police officers could get newer uniforms.

2005 season

During his rookie season he had a total of 44 tackles, 10 pass deflections, but no interceptions. On special teams, Jones totaled 1,399 return yards and 1 TD. Jones and Reynaldo Hill made up the only rookie duo to start at least 10 games each at cornerback in the NFL. Many Tennessee fans felt that Jones was a disappointing pick and even a bust, seeing as how seventh round pick Reynaldo Hill had two interceptions with 39 tackles.

2006 season

At the end of his sophomore season in the NFL, Jones totaled career-high 62 tackles, one sack, 1 forced fumble, 12 deflected passes, 4 interceptions, 130 return yards, one interception touchdown, 14 passes defended (second-team), 440 punt return yards and tied for NFL-high with 3 punt return touchdowns. The three punt returns also tied the franchise record with Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, which was set in 1975. His 12.9 yards per punt return average led the NFL, edging out Chicago's Devin Hester by a tenth of a yard, while his 26.1 yards per kick return average ranked him 7th in the league and 6th in the AFC. Pacman also caught two passes on offense for 31 yards (one for 17 yards) and rushed twice for 8 yards. His best performance came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, when Jones had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to Matt Jones to save the game. Jones broke out in his fifth game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, when he recorded a then personal season-high five tackles and defended a pass in the 14-13 loss. The very next week against the Washington Redskins, Jones recorded four tackles and stripped the ball from Antwaan Randle El for his first forced fumble of his career. The next week against Houston, Jones tied a career-high tackle total with eight, and picked off a Sage Rosenfels pass for his first career interception, and also posted his second punt return in his career in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard return. Two weeks later, against the Eagles, Jones recorded his second punt return for a score of the season, this one 90-yards, breaking Billy Johnson's 87-yard franchise record. The next week against the New York Giants, Jones picked off an Eli Manning pass in the fourth quarter that sparked the Titans' 21-point comeback. Against the New England Patriots in the last game of the season, Jones totaled 259 return yards (the NFL's highest total since 2006) along with a punt return score.

2007 season

Near the 2007 NFL Draft, Jones's off-field issues led many to believe that the Titans' would cut or trade Jones before his third season in the league began. On April 10, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced a one-year suspension for Jones, to be re-evaluated after the 10th regular-season game, pending disposition of current cases. The suspension has been appealed. Jones took out a full ad in the Tennessean, promising "he'll win back trust" of his teammates and fans. "To my family, teammates, coaches and fans, I recognize that I have lost the right to ask for your patience and understanding, Jones wrote. "However, I will do everything in my power to regain your trust and respect. [2] Jones also wrote in the letter, his plans to re-enroll and finish his degree at West Virginia University. "The basis of the appeal … will be to clarify some of the facts and address the unprecedented punishment that was imposed, Jones wrote in the letter. 12 June 2007- Jones drops his appeal with the NFL.

Career Stats

DEFENSE

Year	Team	G	Tk	Solo	Ast	PD	Sck	FF	FR	TD	Int	Yds	TD
2005	TEN	15	53	44	9	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2006	TEN	15	63	51	12	12	1	1	0	0	4	130	1
2007	TEN	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	TOTAL	30	116	95	21	23	1	1	0	0	4	130	1

RETURNS

Year	Team	G	PR	YDS	TD	FC	LNG	KR	YDS	TD	FC	LNG
2005	TEN	15	29	272	1	8	52	43	1127	0	0	85
2006	TEN	15	34	440	3	3	90	20	521	0	0	70
2007	TEN	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	TOTAL	30	63	712	4	11	90	63	1648	0	0	85

Legal troubles

As of March 2007, Jones has been arrested five times and questioned by police ten times since he was drafted by the Titans in 2005. Many NFL commentators are quick to point out that Jones has more arrests than interceptions since being in the NFL.

• On July 13, 2005 Jones was arrested on charges of assault and felony vandalism stemming from a nightclub altercation.

• On September 5, 2005 Jones was a guest at the annual Nashville Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon. After a loud verbal tantrum when he was told to wait in line for his vehicle later that evening, Jones was counseled by the police. He also refused to pay for any valet services used that evening.

• In October 2005, in a petition filed by the State of West Virginia, it was alleged that Jones had not made regular and sufficient contact with his probation officer and that he did not report his July arrest in Nashville in a timely fashion. The court ordered the probation extended for a period of 90 days, although the state requested it to be extended one year.

• On August 25, 2006, Jones was arrested in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after claiming that a woman stole his wallet. She claimed that she did not steal anything and Jones spat on her. Police officers said they ordered Jones to leave several times, but he refused, continuing to shout profanities at the woman. A judge granted him six months probation on the conditions that he stays out of further trouble and away from the nightclub.

• On October 26, 2006. Jones was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting in the face of a female student from Tennessee State University during a private party at Club Mystic, a Nashville nightclub. He was suspended by the Titans for one game and was scheduled to be booked on the charge on November 17, 2006.

• On the morning of February 19, 2007 during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game weekend in Las Vegas, Jones is alleged to have been involved in an altercation with an exotic dancer at a local strip club. Cornelius Haynes Jr., better known as the rapper Nelly, and Jones patronized the club on the evening in question. Haynes began to shower the stage with hundreds of dollars in ones, an act known as "making it rain". Jones then joined Haynes by throwing his own money for "visual effect". Club promoter Chris Mitchell then directed his dancers to collect the money. According to the club's co-owner, Jones become enraged when one of the dancers began taking the money without his permission. He allegedly grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head on the stage. A security guard intervened and scuffled with members of Jones' entourage of half a dozen people. Jones then allegedly threatened the guard's life. During this time Mitchell and a male associate left the club with a garbage bag filled with $81,020 of Jones' money and two Breitling watches, which Police later recovered. After club patrons exited following the original confrontation, the club owner says a person in Jones' entourage returned with a gun and fired into a crowd, hitting three people, including the security guard involved in the earlier skirmish. Although the guard was shot twice, one of the people hit, former professional wrestler Tommy Urbanski, was paralyzed from the waist down. Jones maintains that he did not know the shooter, although the club's owner insists that Jones did. On March 26 2007 the Las Vegas Police recommended to the city's district attorney that Jones be charged with one count of felony coercion and also a misdemeanor count of battery and a misdemeanor count of threat to life.

• More trouble followed Jones after the altercation, when drug dealer Darryl Moore reported to the police after being busted during a deal about his phone conversations with Jones. "We gotta slow down, man. We gotta get him focused on football, man. He's focused on too much other shit," Moore is alleged to have said. Wiretapped phone conversations between Moore and his friends revealed Moore talking about how Jones bet on college games to earn quick money. "You know, I was talkin' to him the other day about smokin', and he was like 'man, if I didn't smoke I couldn't take all the stress that I'm dealing with right now,'" Moore said.

• Jones also is set to appear in a Fayetteville, Georgia court in 2007 for his February 2006 incident on subpoenas for felony and misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges for an incident outside a home. The charges of marijuana in the same state were dismissed.

• Jones has not been connected to the Moore drug arrests or convicted for the Vegas stripper incident. But Titans management have said they will talk to Jones about his future with the Titans, and that there is always a possibility of letting him go. The NFL has issued an investigation into the situation, which is looking into setting up stricter penalties for off-field conduct.

• On April 3, 2007 Jones met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on to discuss his future and the future of fellow-former West Virginia Mountaineer and Cincinnati Bengals' receiver Chris Henry.

• On April 10, 2007 the NFL announced that Jones would be suspended for the entire 2007 season, a suspension not assessed a player in 44 years (for reasons other than substance abuse) since Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were each suspended for one season for gambling. This suspension also stated that Jones will not receive pay during this suspension and that it is subject to additional review after the tenth regular season game, pending disposition of pending charges. In anticipation, Nick Harper was signed as an unrestricted free agent. What effect the suspension will have on the salary cap is not yet known, although the Titans could seek repayment of the approximately $1.9 million in signing bonus money due Jones in 2007. The suspension carries no guarantee of reinstatement after it has been completed.

• On April 14, 2007, Jones announced that he would appeal the suspension set by Goodell. However, since Goodell also hears appeals, the chances of winning any reduction in the suspension are extremely slim.

• On May 7, 2007, Jones was stopped at 12:45 a.m. on Interstate 65 heading into downtown after an officer clocked him on radar at 79 mph in a 55 mph zone. Jones was driving his red 2004 Cadillac XLT he bought at police auction last fall. Police seized the Cadillac last spring in a drug bust. The car was not registered to Jones then, but he told a local TV reporter he had loaned the Cadillac to someone for a music video. Police called the man who had the car the main target of their investigation.

• June 12, 2007, Jones drops his appeal to the season-long suspension.

• On June 18, 2007 Jones was sought by police for questioning after a shooting at an Atlanta strip club allegedly involving members of his entourage. According to police at the scene, Jones was not present during the shooting, and is not being charged.

Popular Culture

Starting May 27, 2007 Jones was the topic of a series of Tank McNamara comics

External links

• Current Stats
• ESPN Player Card